1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to children""s pushcarts, and, more particularly, to pushcarts that appeal to small children and are stackable for compact storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pushcarts for parents to transport children, packages, and luggage in airports, shopping malls, or other large public areas are well known. It is also well known to include a vehicle-shaped body to the pushcart that small children may ride in.
Safety and adequate storage for empty pushcarts are two concerns for storeowners, shopping mall operators, and airport operators who provide pushcarts for parents with small children. To address their safety concern, pushcarts must be constructed sufficiently durable for a young child, use minimal moving parts, and include features which prevent injury due to misuse. To address their storage concern, pushcarts are usually able to fold into a compact configuration that can be stacked with other folded carts to reduce storage space.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pushcart for transporting small children in shopping malls and airports.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a pushcart that is sufficiently durable and safe to use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a pushcart that appeals to small children.
It is further object of the present invention to provide such a pushcart that can be folded into a compact configuration and then stacked with other folded pushcarts to reduce storage space.
These and other objects of the present invention are met by a stackable, vehicle-shaped, pushcart designed for transporting small children in large stores, shopping malls, airport terminals and the like. The pushcart includes a lightweight, lower frame assembly, an upward extending handle assembly attached to the rear section of the frame assembly, and a pivoting vehicle-shaped outer body that is disposed over and supported by the frame assembly during normal use. When stored, the body rotates into an upward extending, perpendicularly aligned position inside the handle space for compact storage. The front section of the frame assembly is U-shaped and includes two side members which are spaced widely apart at one end and converge at their forward ends to form a planar, conical-shaped structure. The relative positions and shapes of the handle and frame assemblies are sufficient so that the front section of the frame assembly on an adjacent, longitudinally aligned rear pushcart may extend under the handle assembly and partially extend into the central space in the front pushcart thereby reducing floor space for storage. The frame assembly also includes two front caster wheels attached to the front section and two rear wheels attached to the rear section so that the pushcart may be easily pushed and turned on a flat surface. An optional anti-tip means is attached to the frame which prevents the pushcart from rotating rearward when excessive downward pressure is applied to the handle.
A lightweight, vehicle-shaped body is disposed horizontally over the frame assembly which, as mentioned above, is able to pivot upward on its rear section around the rear section of the frame assembly. The body includes a seat with an upward, diagonally aligned back member and a fully extending floor panel. Formed on the bottom surface of the body is an upward extending cavity designed to receive the back of the seat in an adjacent position when stacked together. The dimensions and overall shaped of the body is sufficient so that the body may pivot into the handle space created under the handle assembly. An optional bag may be attached to the handle assembly to transport packages when shopping. An optional bracing means between the body and the frame assembly is also provided to assist the user in lowering or raising the body over the frame assembly.